Provide therapy to patients with visual impairments to improve their functioning in daily life activities. May train patients in activities such as computer use, communication skills, or home management skills.
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Licensing, certifications and working conditions
About these figures. BLS publishes wages, growth, openings and typical education for the broader occupation "Occupational Therapists" (SOC 29-1122), so this career shares them with one related career. Skills, interests and other O*NET details are specific to this career.
State licensing. Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists is licensed or registered in 43 of 57 states and territories, as reported by each state to CareerOneStop. A license often applies only to certain roles within a career, and records were last updated between 2010 and 2024, so confirm requirements with the state licensing board.
Certifications. CareerOneStop directly links 5 professional certifications to Low Vision Therapists, Orientation and Mobility Specialists, and Vision Rehabilitation Therapists. 2 of them are in CareerOneStop's "Core" group, for example: Certified Assistive Technology Instructional Specialist for People with Visual Impairments (CATIS), Certified Vision Rehabilitation Therapist (CVRT). Certifications are voluntary credentials offered by the organizations named; listing one is not an endorsement.
Working conditions. Shares of workers who interact with the general public (over 99.5%), have a consistently fast work pace (50.8%), cannot pause their work (34.7%), and are exposed to the outdoors (12.7%). From the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Requirements Survey (2023 estimates); figures describe the occupation on average.
Sources: CareerOneStop (licenses and certifications), part of the CareerOneStop suite of web products, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration; U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (working conditions, wages). MajorPays has reorganized this information; these agencies have not approved or endorsed it. See it interactively, with state-by-state detail →
More data on this career
Pay by education level. Among full-time, year-round workers ages 25 to 64 in the occupation group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists (2 related careers are counted together), median yearly pay is $53,800 with some college or an associate's degree, $83,300 with a bachelor's degree and $81,200 with a master's degree or higher (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024 dollars). Pay differs for many reasons besides education, such as experience, employer and location.
Industries that employ this career. The largest shares of workers in the occupation group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists (2 related careers are counted together) work in Health Care and Social Assistance (80%), Educational Services (17%) and Public Administration (1%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Where the jobs are, and what they pay by industry. Nationwide, the industries that employ the most workers in the occupation group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists (2 related careers are counted together) are Offices of Other Health Practitioners (30% of the jobs counted, median pay $97,600), General Medical and Surgical Hospitals (21% of the jobs counted, median pay $102,920), Elementary and Secondary Schools (13% of the jobs counted, median pay $85,610), Home Health Care Services (8% of the jobs counted, median pay $106,300) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025). Among large industries, the highest median pay is in Home Health Care Services ($106,300), Nursing Care Facilities (Skilled Nursing Facilities) ($105,850), Specialty (except Psychiatric and Substance Abuse) Hospitals ($103,050). Pay differs by industry for many reasons, including the mix of jobs and where employers are located.
What workers studied. Among workers in the occupation group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists (2 related careers are counted together) with a bachelor's degree or higher, the most common fields of the bachelor's degree are Treatment Therapy Professions (37%), Psychology (10%), Physical Fitness Parks Recreation and Leisure (7%) and General Medical and Health Services (7%) (Census Bureau American Community Survey, 2024).
Injury and illness rates. For the occupation group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists (2 related careers are counted together) (BLS category "Occupational therapists"), employers reported 124.5 nonfatal injury and illness cases with days away from work per 10,000 full-time workers, compared with 94.6 for all U.S. workers; the median case kept the worker away 10 days (all workers: 8) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2023-2024). Rates reflect the work setting as well as the occupation.
Projected supply and demand. HRSA projects the supply of occupational therapists (the group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists) at 100% of demand in 2025 and 100% in 2038 (100% means supply matches demand). These are model projections, not forecasts of any one job market (U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration).
Union membership. In the broad group "Healthcare practitioners and technical", which includes this career, 12.0% of wage and salary workers belong to a union (all U.S. workers: 10.0%); median weekly pay is $1,605 for union members and $1,521 for workers not in a union (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Current Population Survey, 2025). This is a group figure, not specific to low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists.
Wages employers offered H-1B workers. For the occupation group that includes low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists (the Department reports one figure for the 6-digit occupation code, which covers 2 related careers), employers filed 809 certified Labor Condition Applications for H-1B workers covering 26,441 worker positions in FY2025, with a median lower-bound wage offered of $72,000 (the middle half ran from $68,400 to $75,700) (U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification). These are wages named in employers' applications to hire temporary foreign workers, usually in jobs that need at least a bachelor's degree. They are not what every worker in the occupation earns. The Department of Labor has not endorsed this presentation.
Employer benefits. In the broad group "Professional and related", which includes this career, 86% of civilian workers had access to an employer retirement plan, 85% had access to employer medical care benefits, and 92% had paid sick leave, 73% paid vacation and 78% paid holidays (all civilian workers: 75%, 74%, 83%, 77% and 79%) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, National Compensation Survey, March 2026). This is a group figure, not specific to low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists, and having access to a benefit does not mean every worker uses it. The Bureau of Labor Statistics has not endorsed this presentation. Employers spent about $74.42 per hour worked on total compensation for the occupational group "Professional and related" in June 2026 ($50.37 in wages and salaries and $24.06 in benefits, 32.3% of the total; all civilian workers: $49.46, with 31.6% in benefits) (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employer Costs for Employee Compensation).
Work environment. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, the conditions most often placed at the two highest levels for low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists are: determine tasks, priorities and goals (100%), e-mail (96%), freedom to make decisions (95%), face-to-face discussions with individuals and within teams (91%), physical proximity (91%), telephone conversations (87%). Each percentage is the share of respondents choosing the top two levels for that condition (for example 'most of the time' or 'continually'), so it describes how common the condition is in the job, not how a particular workplace is (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Typical preparation. In O*NET's survey of workers in this occupation, for related work experience, the most common answer (35% of 23 respondents) was "none"; for on-site or in-plant training, the most common answer (35% of 23 respondents) was "none"; for on-the-job training, the most common answer (30% of 23 respondents) was "over 3 months, up to and including 6 months". These are what workers report is needed to do the job; employers' requirements and individual paths vary (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Related careers. O*NET lists these occupations as similar to low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists in the work done and the skills used: Rehabilitation Counselors, Occupational Therapy Assistants, Recreational Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Occupational Therapy Aides, Speech-Language Pathologists, Special Education Teachers, Kindergarten, Mental Health Counselors (O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Dept. of Labor, ETA, CC BY 4.0).
Compare low vision therapists, orientation and mobility specialists, and vision rehabilitation therapists with other careers (pay, growth, openings and education side by side).
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 PUMS (MajorPays' own estimates from the survey; Census is credited as the source of the original data and has not endorsed them); BLS Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses; BLS Current Population Survey; BLS National Compensation Survey (employee benefits); HRSA National Center for Health Workforce Analysis; U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Foreign Labor Certification (LCA disclosure data, FY2025). MajorPays has selected and reorganized these figures; these agencies have not approved or endorsed them. See it interactively →
Occupational Therapy/Therapist
CIP 51.2306